china town

China town Liverpool

After World War One the settlement spread slowly inland into the side streets such as Cornwallis Street and Dickenson Street, Kent Street and Greetham Street. There were some fourteen places in Pitt Street where you could either eat or buy Chinese food, five of which were restaurants.

Some gambling houses opened along these streets which were mainly visited by those Chinese seamen who were required to stay on shore for a period. The time they spent in Liverpool could vary from two weeks to a month. Since there was no other entertainment for the seamen to spend their money on, they usually gathered in gambling establishments. During the war, the Government had borrowed vessels from the Blue Funnel Line, some which were destroyed or badly damaged. Whilst waiting for the next ship the seamen were compensated with vouchers each of which was worth £5 and nicknamed the 'white duvet cover' due to its thickness. When gambling the vouchers were used as chips with the value of each bet being estimated by measuring the thickness of the wad with a ruler.

The demolition of the area known as Chinatown began as part of the 1930s council scheme to replace the old unsanitary courts and warehouses with modern buildings. Understandably, this plan met with some resistance from members of the community. It was at this time due to the general economic depression and immigration restrictions that the Chinese community in Liverpool saw a reduction in its population size. The bombing of Liverpool in the 1940s destroyed much of the Pitt Street and Cleveland Square area and hastened the demolition of old Chinatown.

In 1944 a plan was put forward in an effort to attract members of the community back into the heart of the city. A Chinese architectural student planned a new 12.5-acre Chinatown, including a pagoda and a Chinese garden. This idea was rejected on the grounds of cost by the City Council. Although, it was alleged that policy restricted gathering of minority groups.

Members of the community were moved into the new tenements in Kent Street, Pitt Street and Upper Frederick Street. These times saw the community undergo great upheaval but the spirit of the people remained positive and the intervening years saw them establish many new projects including:

1939 - Chinese Language School

1941 - The Chinese Republican Progress Club

1944 - Chinese Newspaper - the Chung Hua Chow Pao (Chinese News Weekly)

1944 - Chinese Bank was opened in Liverpool.

1947 - Chinese Seamen's Welfare Centre

1956 - The Liverpool Chinese Gospel Mission

1961 - Chinese Seamen's Club

Members of the Chinese community no longer restricted their business interests to Chinatown and spread throughout the Merseyside area. Some shops and clubs reopened in Nelson Street and Great George Square. During the 1970s Nelson Street became the new hub of Chinatown and the business area extended into Berry Street, Duke Street and Upper Pitt Street.

Information taken from the website : The Liverpool Chinatown Business Association